Ansel Adams is one of the great photography masters, known for his iconic black and white images of the American West. Let’s follow this lead and consider how we might apply his visual insights to my modern day apartment and office design. In an attempt to bring a sense of sophistication and refined elegance, I selected his black and white color palette because it seemed easy to work with and offered plenty of advantages with my limited budget.

One of the most important things Ansel Adams left with us was his principle of pre-visualization. The obvious contrast between the two colors helps highlight specific architectural features and decor additions with ease. While other color schemes come and go with changing seasons and interior design trends, black and white offers a safe alternative that stays relevant even decades down the line.

Using Ansel’s pre-visualization method in approaching my living room design, I immediately visualized how I could work with the New York Skyline Collection by Kathy Ireland as the core to my black and white palette. This is a complete line of Ready-to-Assemble living and office furniture that delivers fashion, quality, value and safety while fulfilling the needs of working people like me.

Then, I chose the New York Skyline Collection 16-Cube Bookcase Room Divider in Modern Mocha to quietly begin dividing my apartment into both living and working zones, without obstructing the room’ spaciousness. When I added the NYS Three Table set to finish off my sofa area, it all started to come together in a harmonizing contrast of black and white.

While black anchors the living room section of the apartment, I’ve highlighted the prominent architectural elements; the white office furniture lends a sense of airiness and balance to the backdrop. By adding Ansel Adam’s polarizing filter, I was able to see why painting a blue sky with clouds ceiling mural could add more saturated color and create a dark and contrasting sky with my evening lighting, versus the sunlit room that evolves naturally during the day.

Even if you decide you don’t want to master a full-blown minimal style, starting off with a black and white color palette is absolutely perfect for a few cornerstone furniture pieces to begin your decorating. Once you uncover what you need or want to improve upon, these two hues will help keep you focused on your true artistic expressions.

Check back next month when we explore Minimalist Décor Accented with Colors of the Season.

There are a number of advantages to small space living. Many people prefer to live in small spaces as opposed to bigger homes. Whether you are just starting out or have chosen to downsize, it is especially important that you feel relaxed and comfortable whatever your small space circumstances are.

City life is often analogous to small space living. Many people often live in apartments because they are abundant and suggest a certain appealing urban lifestyle. Additionally, those smaller spaces can be more cost effective depending on neighborhood, how many roommates one might have, and square footage. However, the desire to live simply also now extends beyond apartments. Tiny homes are a recent phenomenon, and these minuscule, yet beautiful dwellings are becoming desirable places to live.

In apartments and small homes, it is generally easier to keep living areas clean because there’s less upkeep involved. Doing a “quick sweep” of all the living areas really does happen quickly with less ground to cover. Along the same lines, it’s more difficult to accumulate large amounts of clutter when there’s no place to keep it.

Staying organized if you live in a small space is paramount. Even messier people need places to keep everything so they know exactly where it is. In considering storage where space is at a premium, it’s important to consider effectiveness, versatility, and cost. You may want to use all available space in a smaller room, or simply do your best to eliminate messes in pesky areas. Fortunately, Bush Furniture can help you stay organized whether you need to maximize minimal space or clean up specific areas in your home.

Choose unique bookcases to put your favorite reading materials and display photos in any living space, or a laptop end table as a multipurpose room accent and storage area: